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This section covers, very briefly, the space in the area surrounding Earth and the Solar System with details pertaining to the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto (yes, we know) and all their moons and satellites. The Solar System is a vast area, more vast than most people realize. Because space is infinite and the distance to the stars is mind-boggling, people often mistakenly think the Solar System is kind of our local neighborhood and, therefore, not so huge. The Solar System includes the entire area where the Sun influences its surroundings through its own gravitational pull, and the reach of solar winds. The Solar Systems end approximately four times the distance of the planetoid Pluto from the Sun, in an area called the heliopause - the boundary of the Solar System and Interstellar Space. To get an idea how far that is, try doing your own experiment by scaling the mile (or KM if you prefer) distances from the Sun to the planets down to millimeters and drawing your own diagram of the Solar System in a straight line. |
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